West (A Darkness Series Novel)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  I had pushed it enough with her. I had almost gone too far last night.

  My hand brushed the hair away from her face, a smile hinting at her lips at my touch. Even asleep she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Fae or human. Dark Dwellers had been on Earth for seven years, but this was the first time I truly felt happy.

  But the future loomed over my head like a heavy shadow. She told me last night she was in love with me. Saw her future with me. Marriage. Kids.

  I wanted those things too. The entire dream. Blond rug rats running around on the beach with my gorgeous wife by my side. I’d work in the motorcycle shop down the street, while she opened a café of her own near the water. A perfect, simple life. Deep inside I understood it was a dream, but as I stared at her right then, all I wanted was to make it true for her. For me.

  I didn’t want to think I was either condemning her to a life with no kids or one where she could die if she had mine. When Owen lost Jared’s mother in childbirth, it practically killed him. Could I do that to Cammie?

  Every day I lived a lie. Human, William Miller from Georgia, with accent and all. No family, no home, no direction until I found her. I told her the truth—I lost my parents young, but I hid the truth of my clan, my brothers and sisters living on the other side of the US. I had not told her who I was. What I was.

  I kissed her temple and slipped from the bed, settling to fulfill my need for her in the shower. Then I got dressed and walked out of our three-bedroom beach cottage to work. The bike shop was only four blocks from our place. Bill finally hired me after two months of hounding him. I took pride in my first legitimate job. Back in Washington, my family had been involved in procuring and selling illegal items. But a bunch of terrifying bikers, who scared even the toughest fae, didn’t fit easily into society. We quickly joined the dark human underbelly, gaining a name and prestige in the biker community as dudes not to mess with.

  I clocked in, clocked out, and got a check every other week. It was pitiful from what I used to make, but for Cammie, it was worth it.

  “About time, Miller,” Bill grumbled, stepping out of his office, wiping his greasy hands on an even greasier cloth. “Was about to clean out your locker.”

  “Sure, Bill.” I rolled my eyes, heading to the employee room. He’d never fire me. Once he realized how good I was with bikes and how many people, especially woman riders, requested I do custom upgrades on their hogs, he doubled my schedule and upped my pay to keep me happy.

  I slipped on my work coveralls over my clothes, grabbed coffee, and set out for the bike I was working on, greeting the other employees as I passed.

  Jesus, you’re so mundane…normal, I thought, shaking my head. If anyone knew the truth, knew the slaughtering beast lurking only feet away from them…

  My morning slipped by quickly, my mind absorbed on the job. I was surprised when I heard Cammie’s voice talking to Bill.

  “I brought you guys jerk chicken, coleslaw, buttermilk biscuits, and brownies for dessert.”

  “Sweetheart, if you ever get tired of him, you can cook for me any time you want,” Bill said. Cammie was the only person Bill softened around. She had all the guys here around her finger. She was an incredible cook and enjoyed bringing us all lunch before she went to work at the café.

  I heard her laugh. “Not sure I could ever get tired of Will, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

  I strolled around the corner, my smile spreading across my face at the sight of my girl. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a cornflower blue sundress and brown sandals. She was breathtaking.

  “Thought I heard my girl.” I swept her up in my arms, kissing her deeply.

  “I brought food,” she muttered when I let her breathe.

  “Think I’d rather have you, darlin’.” I nipped her lip, the beast stirring.

  Bill cleared his throat behind me, and I set her down.

  “Thank you, Cammie. I’ll take this back to the breakroom. The guys have never been fed so well.” Bill picked up the basket and walked to the back. “Don’t lose that one, Miller. She’s the only reason you have a job here. Can’t lose food this good.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I brushed off his comment, keeping my eyes on Cammie. “Don’t worry, I won’t let this one go. Ever.”

  A smile spread over her face, and her hazel eyes glinted with love. She rose on her toes, her mouth finding mine, and we quickly got lost in each other.

  “West,” a deep voice called from the garage doorway.

  One word. One moment.

  Everything changed.

  Ice spread over my lungs, my head jerked to the door, where three men stood at the entry. My careful, comfortable world shredded into thin slices. Panic tore into my veins, making me feel cold and guarded. I pulled away from Cammie, stepping in front of her, my brain still struggling at the sight of my pack standing before me.

  “How did you find me?”

  “You always knew we would,” Eli replied.

  I had been gone for more than four years, and he had grown into a man in my absence. He was huge, at least six four. Taller than me, and built like a swimmer or soccer player. Broad shoulders, muscles bulging down his arms. His brown hair long and scruff lined his jaw. But it was the same piercing green eyes which used to see through me as a kid that stared at me now. Lorcan, his older brother, stood next to him. He was around my age and hadn’t changed much. Same green eyes as Eli’s, but shorter and took more after their mother, with the round face, but still there was a striking resemblance to their father, our old leader, Dragen. Cooper was on Eli’s right. He had developed as well and was built like he spent time between a gym, a bike, and a surfboard.

  As Dark Dwellers, violence and sex pulsed beneath their skin, like they could go either way at any time.

  “You’re family. We will always come for you.” Eli took a step forward. My hands automatically shot back onto Cammie, pushing her back protectively.

  “Will, what’s going on?” She tried to look around my shoulder, her eyes widening at the three men. I could hear her heart beat extra fast.

  “Will?” Cooper lifted one brow.

  “Nothing. They were just leaving, right?” I nodded to the door.

  Cooper folded his arms. “Cole wants you home. With your family.”

  “Home?” Cammie repeated. “What does he mean home? You told me you didn’t have any family.”

  One of many lies.

  “Ouch, West.” Lorcan palmed his chest in false hurt. “Trying not to take it personal.”

  I glowered at him before turning back to Cammie. “Get out of here, darlin’.”

  “What?” She shook her head. “No. Not till I know what is going on.”

  “Go. Home. Cammie,” I seethed through my teeth, my temper surging with my anxiety.

  “Do as he says.” Eli took another step closer, his voice commanding. I could feel his power. His magic throbbing in the space.

  Holy shit. The alpha in him condensed the air, ready to punish me for my insolence. My beast bent his head to his leader. When the fuck did that happen? Eli was the second? Not Lorcan? This made me even more nervous. All Lorcan ever wanted was to eventually be alpha. Take his father’s place, but his little brother got the second spot instead? That couldn’t have gone over well.

  “Please.” I clutched her wrists, shaking them.

  Her hazel eyes looked into mine, fright consuming them. For me.

  “Don’t worry. They won’t hurt me, darlin’.”

  Lorcan snorted. “I could still kick your ass. Especially now.” Lorcan’s ego always got the better of him. Ever since we were kids, he had something to prove. He once had been a cool guy, the one who snuck me food when my mom ran out, but something happened, he changed. Grew bitter and angry.

  “Go. I’ll be home later,” I whispered softly.

  “Promise?”

  I nodded, cupping her cheek, and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

  Cammie slowly stepped away from
me, her gaze darting nervously from me to the guys. She squeezed my arm, then headed for the door.

  The moment it shut, I swung around, anger blazing off me. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

  “Good to see you too.” Cooper frowned.

  “Don’t you think we should ask you that? Picked up more than the girl. Love the southern accent there, lover boy. Part of your cover, Will?” Lorcan smirked.

  It had been at first. Now it was part of me.

  “Don’t tell me you work here?” Lorcan held up his hands, motioning around the space in horror.

  “Yeah, I do.” I folded my arms. “I have a job, a girl, a life.”

  “A lie.” Eli lifted an eyebrow, cutting straight to the bone. “What are you doing, West? She’s human. You know this can’t last.”

  My nostrils flared.

  Lorcan walked to me with his arrogant strut. “She’s a hot piece of ass, I’ll give you that, but I know you better than anyone. I can tell she’s different. She’s more than a place to stick your dick.”

  “I think she’ll notice when she ages and you don’t.” Eli’s green eyes burrowed down on me, and I looked away.

  “When the fuck did you become alpha?” I mumbled.

  “When you were gone,” Eli replied coolly. “You’ve missed a lot. Jared is growing up, gonna be five soon. He doesn’t even know you.” Eli’s comment nipped at my soul.

  Jared.

  The day he was born should have been a happy day, but Owen lost his love, the mother of his child, the same moment. Still, we gained this brilliant light. The moment Jared came to us was really the day we fully changed. He steered us away from our old life. The half-Dark Dweller, half-human baby, fragile and innocent, peered at us with those hazel eyes and Donovan family features. He had us completely in his tiny hands. Any one of us would have turned the world upside down for him. Missing his first years drove a nail into my heart, but for so long I had pushed all of them far in the background so I could forget. I forgot his giggle and chubby cheeks.

  Now it was exploding in my face. How could I have left him? So many nights I had stayed by his crib, making sure he was fed and protected. Then one day I just got up and left. Left him.

  But I had found peace, and I would not let it go. “You wasted your time. I’m not going with you. I’m happy here.”

  “You can keep lying to yourself, but if you really care for this girl, you will let her go now. We need you home.”

  “No.”

  Eli was on me in a split second. He seized my collar and slammed me against the wall. His eyes flashed red. “I don’t think you understand the severity of what’s going on.”

  Adrenaline surged through me.

  “We’re here because your family needs you, not because we had nothing better to do,” Eli growled.

  I swallowed, glancing around at the other two. They stood rigidly, not smiling. Eli wasn’t playing with me.

  “A group of Dark fae have found out we’re on Earth. They killed Dex.”

  “What?” I jerked my head to Lorcan. Dexter and his twin brother, Daxtan, were notorious troublemakers in our pack and best friends with Lorcan. The three were inseparable. Dex treated life like he was invisible and no one else mattered. I never liked him much, but he was one of our own.

  Eli loosened his grip, and I stepped away. “Sorry, man.” I nodded to Lorcan. He pursed his lips, sliding his hands in his pockets. “But this doesn’t change my mind. I don’t want to be part of that life anymore.”

  “Please. We all know that’s a lie. I can sense your beast from here, ready to let go. When was the last time you let him out?” Lorcan cut to the truth. I barely let it out anymore.

  “This isn’t up for discussion. They know about Jared. They say they are coming for him. Cole demands your presence back home.” Eli shifted, rolling his shoulders back. “We will give you an hour to say your goodbyes, then we will come for you. Sorry, West, but family comes first. You owe Jared that.”

  I gritted my teeth, my chest lowering and rising in my chest. “Is that an order?”

  Eli tilted his head, a hint of disappointment in his face. “Yes.”

  The alpha had spoken, and I could feel the order curl around my muscles. For so long I believed I was on my own, starting my new life.

  With one word that life was over.

  I burst through the front door of the tiny house Cammie and I shared. I didn’t even give pause to tell Bill I was leaving. The job no longer mattered. The life I had been building here had been wiped away in seconds. I would never set foot in there again. The only thing that mattered was Cammie. Panic clogged my head, shutting down logic. My beast felt like it was being backed into a corner.

  “Will?” Cammie jumped as the door banged open and I stomped in. She stood in the kitchen, worry contorting her features. She rushed to me. “You’re home. Are you okay?”

  “Get your stuff.”

  “What?” Confusion knotted her eyebrows.

  “Pack. We’re leaving.” I stormed to the bedroom closet, grabbed her suitcase, and threw it on the bed. “Take only what you need.”

  “Will, stop!” She clutched my bicep. “Tell me what’s going on. Are you in trouble?”

  I grumbled, heading to her dresser, my hands swooping a handful of her undergarments and tossing them in the suitcase.

  “Will, please. Talk to me. Who were those men?” She flung her arms around.

  “They’re the closest I have to family.” I reached for another bag, stuffing more tops in it.

  “Then why are you running from them? I don’t understand.”

  “Let’s say my family is kind of like the mafia. You’re born into them and you can never leave.”

  “Are they going to hurt you? What do they want?”

  My family would never hurt me, physically, but Cole’s demand I come home would kill my heart. I couldn’t take Cammie back with me. Humans were a strict no-no. It was the only stringent rule we had. And I was stupid enough to let myself fall for one.

  She danced around me as I continued to tornado through the room, grabbing anything my hands could grab.

  “West. Enough!” She seized my hand, stopping me. “I’m not leaving. This is my home. My job is here. Your job. I just put a down payment on the café on the water.”

  I whirled around, gripping her arms. “We can start over somewhere else. You don’t understand…”

  “You’re right, I don’t.” She reached up, touching my face. “I love you. I want to have your children in this house, grow old with you here. I want to create a life in this home.”

  I squeezed my lids together as her fingertips trailed my face. How could I take that away from her? This was her grandmother’s house, and she spent every summer here growing up. Every inch of space held a memory of hers. When her grandma passed, she left it to Cammie. She would never leave. And I couldn’t ask her to.

  I rubbed at my face anxiously. The idea of forcing her to leave and never giving her a clear reason why broke me as much as walking away from her.

  Could I look at myself in the mirror if something happened to Jared and I turned my back on them? If one of us was threatened, the whole family showed up. I was one of the best fighters. When it came to a pack, we each had our role, like wolves. When one left, a part was missing.

  “You told me you had no family. Why did you lie to me?” She twisted me back around to face her.

  “There is a lot you don’t know about me.”

  “What? Are you a fugitive or something?” She laughed.

  I hesitated. Technically in the Otherworld we were.

  Humor slid from her features, her hand covering her mouth. “Oh my God.”

  “No.” I reached for her, but she jerked away. “It’s not what you think.”

  “You don’t know what I think.” She stepped back.

  “Cam…” My hand went for her wrist. She batted it away.

  “Why did they call you West?”

  Again ano
ther lie wrapped around my tongue ready to fall on her like the rest. Lying had gotten too easy for me, but remembering the lies was getting harder.

  “Is William even your name?” Her huge eyes widened farther.

  I pressed my lips together.

  “Oh God.” Her hand went to her stomach.

  “Darlin’, listen.”

  “Don’t darlin’ me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “What is your real name?”

  “That’s not important.”

  “Yes, it is! Tell me!”

  I rocked back on my heels, bowing my head.

  “West. West Moseley.”

  “Oh my,” she muttered, turning away. Her hand went to her mouth again, a tear rolling down her cheek.

  How could I not see this coming? The pain I would cause her.

  “Is there anything you didn’t lie to me about?”

  “Yes.” I grabbed her arms again. “I was totally honest about how I feel about you. I am in love with you, Cammie.”

  A crazed laugh came from her. “Love? You have no idea what love is. Love means being truthful, completely honest and open.”

  I couldn’t respond, which only sent her off more.

  “I told you! I told you how I felt about being lied to. I have been betrayed so many times in my life. It was the only thing I asked of you. Just to be honest with me. Why? Why was that so hard to do?”

  “Because I can’t.”

  “Why? What have you done? Who are you running from? I mean, have you killed someone or something?”

  I’d killed a lot of people, so I kept quiet.

  She swore and turned from me, running out of the room.

  “Cammie.” I bolted out of the door after her.

  “Stay away from me!”

  I ignored her pleas and circled my arms around her, bringing her into me. “I’d never hurt you. You know that, right? I love you.”

  “That’s usually when people do.” Agony and confusion rippled over her face, tears raining down.

  “I don’t want to lose you, darlin’,” I whispered against her ear.

  “I need to know the truth.” She was rigid in my arms but stopped trying to pull away. “All of it.”

  “I’m not sure you’re ready for that. It’s more than just my name. I’m only trying to keep you safe.” The words fell from my mouth before I could stop them.